Mrs. Beeton

I love this quote from Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management "Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, an homed he praiseth her"
Abridge Preface to The First Edition I must frankly own that, if I had known beforehand the labour which this book had entailed, I should never have been courangeous enough to commence it. What moved me, in the first instance, to attempt a work like this, was the discomfort and suffering which I had seen brought about by household mis-management. I have always thought that there is no more fruitful source of family discontent than badly-cooked dinners and untidy ways. Men are now so well served out of doors - at clubs, hotels and restaurants - that, to compete with the attractions of these places, a mistress must be thoroughly acquainted with the theory and practice of cookery, as well as all the other arts making and keeping a comfortable home.  ISABELLA BEETON. 248, Strand, 1861.


Obviously I wouldn't want to live in a  Victorian household in late 1800's, I would miss my creature comforts too much, but some of the old fashioned ways of doing things in a modern household are actually better than the expensive mass produced products we all buy these days. So, I'll be picking my way through some of my favourite parts of the Mrs. Beeton's book, and selecting parts that are helpful and relevant to modern living.